Reindeer Games
by Patti and Marg
Summary: A Little Christmas Ditty. Enjoy!


This Game is just a little Christmas ditty, based on the perennial holiday favorite, "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer". We again do not make any claims on the original Hogan's Heroes' characters. All other characters are ours. But again, those characters are free for anyone to use, if you so choose.

Our rating for this little ditty… G.

Merry Christmas!

**Reindeer Games**

_You know Hogan and Kinchloe, Newkirk and Wilson.  
You know LeBeau and Matthews, Marlow and Olsen.  
But do you remember the most innocent POW of them all?_

_**Carter, the Clumsiest Saboteur!**_

Carter, the clumsiest saboteur, had a very kindly way.  
Everyone, who ever met him, would always say that it showed.  
All of the other POWs, would tease, but protect him just the same.  
At first they never let poor Carter, join in any Papa Bear games.

Then one dark and foggy eve, Papa Bear came to say:  
"Carter, you can do it right.  
Won't you help blow that train tonight?"

Then how the POWs were _confident_ in him.  
For they shouted out, when he returned successfully…  
"Carter, the clumsiest saboteur, you'll go down in history!"

Carter, the clumsiest saboteur, had a very kindly way.  
Everyone, who ever met him, would always say that it showed.  
All of the other POWs, would tease, but protect him just the same.  
At first they never let poor Carter, join in any Papa Bear games.

Then one dark and foggy eve, Papa Bear came to say:  
"Carter, you can do it right.  
Won't you help blow that train tonight?"

Then how the POWs were _confident_ in him.  
For they shouted out, when he returned successfully…  
"Carter, the clumsiest saboteur…

You'll go down in history!"

**The End **

_Thanks for Reading!  
Patti and Marg  
_  
**Author's Notes:**

**_Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer_****_  
_**  
In 1949, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was written by U.S. songwriter Johnny Marks, 40, who adapted a verse written in 1939 by his brother-in-law, Robert L. May, for a Montgomery Ward promotional children's book.

There is a widely reproduced story concerning the creation of Rudolph by Robert May. It is not altogether accurate, but is reproduced here for the sake of completeness.

_Rudolph The Ninth Reindeer_

Rudolph, "the most famous reindeer of all," was born over a hundred years after his eight flying counterparts. The red-nosed wonder was the creation of Robert L. May, a copywriter at the Montgomery Ward department store. In 1939, May wrote a Christmas-themed story-poem to help bring holiday traffic into his store. Using a similar rhyme pattern to Moore's "Twas the Night Before Christmas," May told the story of Rudolph, a young reindeer who was teased by the other deer because of his large, glowing, red nose. But, when Christmas Eve turned foggy and Santa worried that he wouldn't be able to deliver gifts that night, the former outcast saved Christmas by leading the sleigh by the light of his red nose. Rudolph's message-that given the opportunity, a liability can be turned into an asset-proved popular. Montgomery Ward sold almost two and a half million copies of the story in 1939. When it was reissued in 1946, the book sold over three and half million copies. Several years later, one of May's friends, Johnny Marks, wrote a short song based on Rudolph's story (1949). It was recorded by Gene Autry and sold over two million copies. Since then, the story has been translated into twenty-five languages and been made into a television movie, narrated by Burl Ives, which has charmed audiences every year since 1964.

**_Reindeer are not a recent topic for Christmas songs._**

Ever since Clement Moore developed the modern myth of Santa Claus in his 1822 classic "Twas the Night Before Christmas," reindeer have been closely associated with Santa and have been mentioned in carols. As far back as the 1850s or 1860s, Benjamin Hanby alluded to the animals in his "Up on the Housetop." Two other holiday songs with reindeer featured were Ken Darby's 1942 musical rendition of Moore's poem and the 1946 hit, "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman.

But Johnny Marks' 1949 phenomenon "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was a lot more than the mere mention of deer. Rudolph was the first important new Christmas character since Moore's introduction of the magnanimous Christmas elf. The success of Rudolph apparently encouraged the subsequent appearance of other imaginative and lasting fictional personalities such as Frosty the Snowman, the Chipmunks, and the Grinch. In addition, Marks' song, although not the first highly popular novelty carol to appear after World War II, was the supreme prototype of Christmas novelties and possibly served as the impetus for similar songs later on.

Marks, though, was not the creator of the Rudolph character. In 1939, Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May, developed the story of Rudolph as part of an advertising promotion for Montgomery Ward stores. In 1947, Wards graciously gave the copyright for Rudolph to May, who published the tale in book form that year. Instantly, the little volume became a best-seller. No doubt inspired by the extraordinary success of May's book, Marks adapted the delightful story into equally charming lyrics, added a very catchy tune, obtained a big-name recording artist, and an even more extraordinary commercial success soon ensued. The initial recorder of "Rudolph," movie cowboy and country-western singer Gene Autry, was not new to the Christmas record game or to the reindeer game. Somewhat earlier he had sung his own composition "Here Comes Santa Claus" into the hearts of holiday audiences. "Rudolph," however, far surpassed the popularity of Autry's previous recording, quickly reaching the top of the music ratings near the end of 1949. It made Marks (1909-1985) an overnight celebrity and facilitated his later composition of a batch of other holiday songs.

Only one other twentieth-century American popular carol, "White Christmas," has exceeded the public acceptance of "Rudolph." Recorded in many versions, selling many millions of records, "Rudolph" has rapidly evolved into a singular Christmas institution. A variety of holiday merchandise has been marketed based on the beloved little animal whose brightly shining nose led Santa and his sleigh through the crisis of a foggy Christmas Even And not one but three holiday specials were produced with Rudolph as the star. In 1964 the annual favorite Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, with "Snowman" Burl Ives narrating and singing, was first telecast.

**_The Naming of the Deer, or, Why Clement Moore, with the Collaboration of St. Nicholas, _****_  
Gave Those Odd Names to the Eight Deer _**  
_by William E. Studwell__  
Northern Illinois University_

In the process of preparing a homage to Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), an intriguing document was accidentally discovered, by the author of "A Visit from S. Nicholas," on the 175th anniversary of the publication of that classic poem in the Troy Sentinel on Dec. 23, 1823. A few pages of notes, apparently in the hand of New Yorker Moore, a professor of Oriental and Greek literature. A section of these notes reveal the reason why Moore wrote the poem.

In December 1822 Moore was personally visited by St. Nicholas himself, an incident which normally sober Moore, in hindsight, believed could have been a dream. The purpose of the visit, according to Moore's notes, was a desire by Nicholas to clarify the public perception of himself and his activities, which at the time was confused and inaccurate. Respecting Moore's intellectual and personal integrity, Nicholas asked Moore to write and publish a literary piece based on information supplied by Nicholas. The result was the quickly written "Twas the Night Before Christmas," which as reported by Moore, thoroughly delighted the benevolent Saint.

The notes reveal little more about the incident except for some details about the names and personalities of Nicholas' symmetrical set of eight reindeer.

A summary of Moore's reindeer commentary, based on information from Nicholas, follows:

**Dasher** -- the left side leader; travels well in short quick spurts, a perfect requirement for fast house-to-house dashes; also a dashing role model for the other seven deer.  
**Dancer** -- the left number 2 deer; name alliterative with Dasher; has well-trained hoofs to maintain stability on snowy rooftops.  
**Prancer** -- the left number 3 deer; Dancer's twin; also has skillful hoofs for rooftop maneuvers but is less disciplined than Dancer.  
**Vixen** -- the left rear deer; name rhymes with Blitzen; has much emotional energy but is unpredictable.  
**Comet** -- the right side leader; like his astronomical namesake, is both speedy and enduring; also commands attention, a must for leaders.  
**Cupid** -- the right number 2 deer; name alliterative with Comet; moves as fast as Cupid's arrow but is too perfidious to lead.  
**Donner** -- the right number 3 deer; name derived from the German word for thunder; is very strong, but not very enduring.  
**Blitzen** -- the right rear deer; Donner's closest companion; name derived from the German word for lightning; the fastest and most energetic of the eight, but the least likely to last all Christmas eve.


End file.
